Electric illuminating apparatus



(No Model.)

E. A. COLBY. ELECTRIC ILLUMINATING APPARATUS.

No. 499,097. Patented June 6, 189B.

A TTOHNE Y.

PATENT OFFIcE.

EDlVARD A. COLBY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRIC ,ILLUMINATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 499,097, dated June 6, 1893.

Application filed February 15, 1893. Serial No. 462,406. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. COLBY, of Newark, Essex county, New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Illuminating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an electric incan descent or glow lamp in annular form and containing a filament in the form of a ring or closed coil. The said filament has no leading-in wires, and is rendered incandescent by induction by being disposed in a varying field such as is produced by an alternating, pulsating, or intermittent current.

My invention consists more particularlyin the construction of the annular glow lamp: the combination of two or more of said lamps with an inducing coil: the construction and arrangement of the lamp support: and the providing of the same with reflecting surfaces, and in the construction of a novel, arrangement of annular lamps, coils and supporting body which I term a rope of light and by means of which entirely new and striking effects in electrical illumination may be produced.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional, and Fig. 2 is a plan,view of my annular lamp. Fig. 3 is a vertical section showing the construction of the inducing coil and support and the disposition of two or more lamps thereon. Fig. 4 illustrates the construction of my so-called rope of light, several series of lamps and inducing coils being disposed upon a flexible iron wire cable. Fig. 5 shows said rope of light bent to form letters for illuminated signs or signals. Fig. 6 shows said rope wound or coiled about a support to produce apparently a solid mass of incandescent matter, and Fig. 7 shows said rope laid in a flat coil, so as to render luminous large surface areas.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

The lamp consists of a glass tube, A, Figs. 1 and 2, which may be made in elliptical, or as is here shown, in circular, form. Within this tube is placed the carbon filament B of any material suitable for the filament in an incandescent or glow lamp, which filament is held in place in the tube by means of supports, 0, of platinum wire, which are sealed .coil thereof, and thus be caused to glow by the induced current set up therein due to its location in the field of the primary coil. In Fig. 3 is shown a convenient arrangement for this purpose. Here G is a primary coil connected by wires I J with any suitable source of varying (alternating, pulsating or intermittent) current. II is the core of said primary coil, preferably made of abundle of straight wires.

.The core H protrudes beyond the primary coil, as G. In order to bring my lamp Ainto operation, I have simply to place it upon the core H, as shown in Fig. 3, when the filament B, being in inductive proximity to the coil G, will be caused to glow. Where it is desired to increase the intensity of the light, I may multiply lamps, A, upon the core H, as shown at A, A", &c.; one lamp simply resting upon the other. Or, by still farther prolonging the core II and placing thereon several primary coils, as G, G, G", and numerous interposed lamps, as A, A, 850., as shown in Fig. 4, I may produce a continuous bar, so to speak, of lamps. In this way I may produce an illuminating source of indefinite length, and by making the core H flexible (as, for example, of wire rope), entirely novel and striking effects in electrical illumination may be obtained. Thus,I may carry my rope of light entirely around a room like a molding or cornice; or,I may twist or bend it into ornamental designs, such as letters, as shown in Fig. 5, so that in this Way I may produce illuminated signs or inscriptions. As the flexibility of the rope allows of a single length being easily and quickly changed in form, I pro pose to use the letters or inscriptions thus formed for night signaling between distant points, or for advertising purposes. By coiling the rope of light closely around any suitable support, as shown in Fig. 6, I may produce pillars or blocks of almost any size and apparently from a little distance, an incandescent mass; or by placing the rope in a fiat coil, as shown in Fig. 7, I may render large areas brilliantly glowing.

As shown in Fig. 4, the coils G G, 850., may be electrically connected. In order to support the annular lamps A A on the core II when the same stands vertically, I provide on said core a threaded sleeve, K, upon which the lamps loosely fit. A nut, L, upon said sleeve then supports the lamps from below and also allows of their adjustmentin any desired position. I propose to make all surfaces of the support which are covered by the lamps, bright or light reflecting. This I may do by silver or nickel plating, by the interposition of mirrors, or in any other suitable way.

In the device shown in Fig. 4, the entire periphery of the core H' would thus be made bright.

In the foregoing, I have described the fila ment as made wholly of carbonor other material intended to glow or incandesce in the larnp, but it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to a filament thus constructed. Thus,'I- may make the filament partly of a-body of high resistance which glows or incandesces and partly of a body of lower resistance, as, for example, a wire of platinum or other suitable material. In Fig. 2-, for example, the filament may be regarded as made in three sections marked by the positions of the supports 0. I may make one or two of thesesections of platinum wire and'the re maining two orone of carbon, the carbon portiononly incandescing. In this way I can produce the greatest expenditure of energy in'a' fractionalportion only of the whole filamentwith corresponding increase of brilliancy; This construction is preferable in cases where the lamp is placed on one side against anopaq-ue body or'support, as in Figs. 5, (land 7', the external part ot the filament then only glowing.

Iclaim 1. In'anelectric illuminatingapparatus, a primary coil, a support, and two or more in-- dependent glow lamp receivers on said support, each receiver containing a filament in ring or closed coil form: the aforesaid parts being constructed and arranged so that said filaments shall each become a secondary'to said primary coil and be caused to glow by the induced current, substantially as described.

2. Inan electric illuminating apparatus,-a

that whensaid receivers are held upon said supports said filaments shall be in said variablefield,-- substantially as described.

3.'In combination with an electric glow lamp having an annular receiver and a' filalamps each having an annular receiver, and

tric glow lamp a filament in ring or'closed a filament in ring or closed coil form therein, substantially as described.

5. In an electric-illuminating apparatus, an

elongated body ofinductive material and received thereon a coil, two or more glow lamps each having an annular receiver and a filament in ring or closed coil form therein, and means for preventing lateral motion of said lamps upon said body, substantially as described.-

6. In an electric glowlamp, a receiver in the form of an annular tube, and a ring or closed coil filament without leading in wires disposed and supported in the axial lineof said tube, substantially as described.-

7'. As a new article of manufacture, an c1011- gated body of inductive material,a seriesof inducing coils thereon, and a series of annular electric glow lamps also thereon each lamp having a filament in ring or annular form, substantially as described.

8; As anew article otmanufact-ure; a flexible'elongated body of inductive material (such as wire rope), a series of inducing coils thereon and a series'of annular electric glow' lamps also thereon, substantially as described.

9. The combinationot' a coil, a coredependingtherefrom, two'or more electric annular glow lamps received upon'said core-and means for adjusting said lamps simultaneouslyin posit-ion along said core,-substantially as described.

10. The combination in an electric glow lamp of the annular receiver,a ring filament therein without leading in wires and supports for said filament, substantially as described.

11.- The combination of the threaded core K, eoi1G,a-nnu1ar electric'glow lamps A, A,

&'c"., and nut Lon said core, substantially as described.

12. The combination of the threaded core K, coil G, annular electric'glow lamps A, A, &c., nut Land shade M, substantially'as described.

13. In an annular orhollow cylindrical eleccoil form constructed of two bodies of different resistances, substantially as described.-

14. In an annular orhollow cylindrical electric glow lamp, a filament of carbon having an insertedsection of nietahsubstantiallyas described,

EDWARD A. COLBY.

Witnessesz H. R. M-oLLER, M. Boson. 

